'Roger Federer was not feeling well, he was ill' - Mary Joe Fernandez

The wife of Federer's agent Tony Godsick, and a commentator, shared an important revelation

Author: Luigi Gatto | 2018-09-08 00:32 | 28579 reads

Mary Joe Fernandez knows Roger Federer very well. The American is the wife of Federer's agent Tony Godsick, and commenting on ESPN she said something very interesting. Federer was quite ill in the holding room after the match, but he didn't share the information. In his press conference, Federer didn't mention any physical issue and just blamed the humidity and the heat. Prior to the loss, in his many interviews Roger had always said that he was healthy for the first time in three years heading into the US Open, as in 2017 he was dealing with a back injury and in 2016 withdrew. 'He was not feeling well,' Fernandez said. 'He took a long time to lie down and get his breathing under control.'

Mats Wilander thinks Federer's tactic was wrong: 'Going forward and being super aggressive, I think it's something he has been doing for the last couple of years. Sometimes it's gonna work, sometimes it doesn't work. I think that the heat and humidity has a lot to do with it. The way he chose to play may not be the correct way. It's also about saving energy and taking care of momentum per momentum, so you don't necessarily try the winner on every point. I am not sure he came to the net too much often, it's more about the conditions. Roger is not just playing against John Millman last night but he is also trying to figure out other ways to beat John Millman while he has something left in the tank against Novak Djokovic in the quarter-finals. John Millman is not thinking about that. He is just thinking about beating Roger Federer on this very night and he is gonna leave absolutely everything on the court and he is not thinking about the next round. That's not how a big champion plays because what's the point for Roger in exhausting himself to the point on not return once he wants to face Novak Djokovic.'